GBOYH Verse: Magic Duel
by Kendell
Summary: Sequel to GBOYH and Perfect Companions. In canon, Trixie returned to take her revenge on Ponyville for the incident that ruined her life. But what if she had met Twilight again before she ever got the chance to buy the Alicorn Amulet? What if instead of a duel between foes for Ponyville's fate, it was a friendly competition...with a few complications. Ch. 1


Hello everyone, it's time for the long awaited sequel to Getting Back On Your Hooves: This verse's version of Magic Duel! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks to ItsfromPeople for beta reading and the always wonderful Paraderpy for the preview pic!

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**Getting Back On Your Hooves Verse: Magic Duel**

**The Challenge**

"Behold Ponyville! Prepare for amazing and terrifying displays of magic the like of which you've never seen!" screamed Trixie in a black cloak, her eyes glowing red as lightning roared in the background. "Now! Trixie hopes you enjoy screaming! Because you shall be doing a lot of it! HAHAHAHA!" she laughed evilly as lightning continued to crash.

"…So, what do you think? Terrifying enough?"

Sally whimpered, giving a quick nod.

Trixie took off the hood of her cloak and nuzzled her pet. "And you even managed not to spray, Trixie is proud of you!"

She floated off her cloak and hung it up. "Thank Princess Luna Zecora knew where Trixie could find a terrifying cloak. Rarity's an amazing designer, but her idea of what's terrifying is well…not so horrifying…" Trixie wondered how Rarity could maintain her cool in the face of somepony like King Sombra or Checker Monarch, but a tacky dress made her freak out. It was rather odd. Though perhaps it was because those two insane control freaks at least had some style when it came to their evil wardrobes.

The showmare noticed Sally looking at her somewhat confused. "Trixie knows it's a bit confusing to plan a Nightmare Night show so far in advance, but Princess Luna is going to be there and Trixie wants to make a good impression. And besides, Trixie still needs to get the details of her sinister chariot hammered out."

Said chariot was presently sitting unpainted with the wheel axles broken. "The wheels keep breaking off…" she muttered, glaring at the wheels. "Hopefully by Nightmare Night Trixie will have found more trustworthy wheels…"

Trixie looked around her room. There were posters from the plays she'd been narrator for…and a small toy collection of which Trixie was proud. It'd taken a few months to earn the bits to buy it but between the work at the theatre and doing odd jobs around town, she'd finally succeeded. Well…technically, the building wasn't just hers, she shared it with two other ponies, but she had her own room and her housemates were both her kind of ponies…each in their own way. She'd have to thank Pinkie again for helping set it.

It wasn't that she didn't like staying with Twilight, she just wanted some space…and to give Twilight her own. Sure, she was now sharing a house with two ponies, but she had her own room to make...well, hers, something she didn't have at the library, which was undoubtedly Twilight's. And she still saw plenty of Twilight.

After setting out some food and water for her pet, she headed out into the hallway. "Octavia, Trixie is going to meet up with Fluttershy and Rarity, please make sure remind Vinyl Sally is present when she wakes up."

The Earth Pony gave a nod. "Certainly, Trixie. As amusing as seeing Vinyl walking around pink was, the stench was far from worth it."

"Um…Trixie is once more sorry about that incident…"

"Oh, it's quite alright, Sally's been quite well-behaved and at least it finally broke Vinyl's annoying habit of bursting into rooms playing dubtrot full blast on her boom box. I have been trying to do that for months."

Vinyl had taken being skunked surprisingly well, all things considered. Then again Vinyl being in a bad mood was about as frequent as Fluttershy being mean. Had only happen a hoof full of times and one had involved Discord.

The two were interrupted by a knock at the door. The showmare opened it to find a brown stallion with a darker brown mane, hourglass cutie mark, and a green tie. And a very strange device that was going ding for some reason. "Um…hello?"

The stallion pointed the device at her and it dinged several times. "Oh! I get it now! Well fancy that!"

"Um…fancy what?"

"Oh, my timey wimey detector was going off…"

"Uh…timey wimey detector?"

"Yes, it goes ding when there's stuff."

"Should Trixie be concerned it went ding while pointed at her?"

"Sometimes, but looks like this time it's just a rudimentary timeline split, apparently centering around you, nothing to worry about!"

"Wait, what do you-"

"Sorry, I must get going, my companion and I have a planet of muffins to go visit and I need to plan it out!"

"Wait, tell Trixie what…and he's gone…What just happened?!"

Octavia chuckled. "That is just the Doctor, you get used to it."

Trixie got the feeling she knew more than she let on. Or maybe Ponyville was even stranger than Trixie had thought.

* * *

Trixie trotted towards the cream colored pony's cottage. "Trixie wonders how F

"Stop! Stop! They can't take it!"

Trixie blinked. "Trixie is now uncertain whether or not she wants to know…"

Trixie teleported quickly, landing on the bridge to Fluttershy's cottage…and witnessed Twilight floating several animals in the air in a Mebius loop, being watched by an excited Spike and a fearful Fluttershy.

"…Why is it Trixie always arrives in the middle of bizarre situations?" Trixie asked herself.

The showmare trotted over to her friends as Twilight set the animals down safely…though Fluttershy continued cowering. "Uh…hello, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy," Trixie announced, recovering her traditional dramatic flourish.

Twilight smiled, turning to Trixie as the animals all rushed to comfort Fluttershy. "Hello, Trixie, it's nice to see you."

Trixie smiled in returned, giving her 'sister' a hug. "As is it for Trixie…would you mind telling Trixie what's going on?…And if she wants to know…"

Spike hopped up on Twilight's back. "Twilight's practicing for a show for the Princess and the delegates from Saddle Arabia."

Trixie's eyes became comparable to dinner plates. "De-de-delegates from Saddle Arabia?! P-P-Princess?! S-show?"

Twilight blushed slightly. "Sort of…Princess Celestia put me in charge of the entertainment for the delegates…Is something wrong?"

Trixie stared for a few moments before she shook herself out of her daze. "Wrong?…No…Nothing is wrong," the blue unicorn forced a smile. "Trixie is…happy you've been trusted with such a wonderful opportunity. Performing before the Princess and delegates from somewhere as beautiful as Saddle Arabia is a once in a life time opportunity! Why wouldn't Trixie be…happy for her friend having such a wonderful chance?! She certainly wouldn't pass up such a chance! Ever! In fact she'd jump on it like Pinkie Pie on a cupcake! So enjoy yourself!"

Twilight blinked, looking at the forced smile on her friend's face…and almost painful attempts to hide the jealousy and desire to be in the spotlight for her friend's sake.

Twilight looked over to Fluttershy as the timid Pegasus went over each and every one of her friends with a fine-toothed comb to make sure they were alright. She then looked to Trixie, who reminded her of Rarity's attempts not to show how much she wanted Spike's Fire Ruby.

A thought formed in her mind. "…Trixie…Fluttershy's worried that the trick might be a little much for her animals to handle…so perhaps we could do something together instead?"

Trixie grinned from ear to ear. "YES!YES!YES!YES!…" The mare cleared her throat. "Uh…Trixie means…are you sure?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, it'll probably be a lot more entertaining a show. Two heads are better than one!"

"Then…thank you…Trixie…I would be most grateful for that, Twilight," the azure unicorn replied, giving a genuinely grateful smile.

Twilight returned the smile. "Well, you are the resident showmare, I'm actually rather surprised I'd not thought to ask you before…"

Spike tapped Twilight on the shoulder. "Twilight…what about making the Princess proud?" he whispered. "Are you ok sharing this with Trixie?"

"That's important to me, Spike…but performance is her life," Twilight whispered, looking back as Trixie was trying to celebrate in the most modest way she could…which considering it was Trixie, consisted of giddily practicing how she'd introduce herself to the Princess in an overly dramatic fashion. "Being able to perform for the Princess and the delegates would be a great thing for her and look at how happy she is…I'm willing to share the Princess' attention if it helps my friend."

Spike looked at Trixie glee at the knowledge she'd be able to perform for the Princess. He gave a small smile. "Yeah, you're right."

"And besides, the Princess has me here _studying_ friendship, so doing a show for her with one of my friends just seems like a good idea. And if we want the Princess and the delegates to have a good performance, having a real showmare costar will go a long way to do that."

Twilight nodded, then looked to Trixie. "Trixie, what are we going to do?"

Trixie blinked, her euphoria finally dying down. "Trixie…does not know. Most of Trixie's acts are practiced to be performed with…"

"Your coltfriend?" Spike joked.

Trixie blushed. "…with Stage Hoof, or Sally. And…well, Trixie's the star of all those instead of the co-star…Trixie doesn't have any prepared performances for a co-star…and from the sound of things, there's not enough time for you to learn a play Trixie could narrate…"

The two unicorns put hooves to their chins and gave it thought.

"Hey! Why don't you make it a competition?" suggested Spike.

The two mares stared at him in confusion.

"Like you both just show off your magic? Like those competitions unicorns do back in Canterlot…" the baby dragon suggested.

"You mean like an exhibition magic duel?" Twilight asked. "I'm not sure that'd be fair, I'm Trixie's magic tutor and it doesn't really sound frien-"

Trixie put on her game face. "You're one of Trixie's tutors, Twilight. Trixie has been training with her grandmother, a master at theatre magic, and been doing a considerable amount of training on her own. And believe it or not, Trixie went to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns just like you."

Twilight and Spike both blinked. "You…you did?"

Trixie gave her typical smug smirk. "Yes, she did. Checker was so jealous of Trixie…well, more jealous than normal." She frowned for a moment as she let herself think about what she'd just said, but quickly shook it off to let her excitement return.

"…Then how come you didn't know I was Celestia's personal student?" asked Twilight, cocking her head.

"Because you spent most of your time in your room or with Celestia and when you left, there was normally a book hiding your face," Spike pointed out.

"…Point taken…So we do an exhibition duel?" asked Twilight. It didn't seem as friendly as working together, but for some reason the idea of a competition seemed to get Trixie so excited. And so long as it didn't turn into Applejack and Rainbow Dash at the Running of the Leaves, it was still a friendly competition.

"If you think you can handle Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer!" Trixie announced in her over the top fashion with a playful grin.

Twilight gave one of her own. "Alright, Trixie. You're on."

"Um…excuse me…"

The two unicorns and a dragon turned to look at the source of the voice, the resident timid little pegasus.

"Um…Trixie…Rarity's probably waiting…"

Trixie blinked for a moment, then gave a sheepish smile. "Oh…yes, Trixie forgot she had a prior appointment."

* * *

"Really, darling?" asked Rarity, getting a massage from Aloe of the Spa Twins. She'd taken to inviting Trixie along with her and Fluttershy. The showmare may have not been Canterlot nobility, but she was still somepony who understood the finer things in life. Considering she was from Hoofington, it was little surprise.

Trixie nodded, presently getting a mud bath to make sure she looked her best later on. "Yes! Trixie is so excited she could just scream! Performing in front of the Princesses and the delegates! She can't thank Twilight enough for this honor!"

Fluttershy (presently getting a hooficure) smiled at her friend's glee and excitement. "I'm happy for you, Trixie…"

"Yes, darling, it's simply divine," Rarity added, giving a grin. "This will be so good for your career! Maybe you can finally get that…um Ursa off your back."

Trixie gave a shudder. "Y-Yes…H-Hopefully the U-Usra minor incident will finally be put behind of Trixie…" She shook off the momentary fear stemming from her rather justifiable phobia of Ursas.

The memories of that horrible time flashed through her head. Losing everything. Her home, her career, all of her possessions. She'd been left with nothing. And then there was seeing that…that creature's roaring maw right in front of her face. The mere thought made a chill go down her spine. Even with her success since then and having made her atonement for what had happened…she still knew many still judged her for what happened so long ago and wouldn't let what her own lie had done to her stay in the past. That it was a burden she could not cast off. She knew even defeating her insane sister wasn't enough. No one had seen the battle in Checker's dreamscape to know how hard it had been.

Trixie got a confident smile. "Now Trixie will finally wash away the burden her past has put on her!"

"That's the spirit, Trixie!" Rarity cheered, excited for her friend. She then gave a small cry as her back cracked during the massage.

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, Trixie, I hope you do well…"

"Trixie will put on a show the likes of which none have ever seen!" Trixie exclaimed, in her usual overly dramatic fashion…a little too overly dramatic.

Rarity cleared her throat and Trixie looked up to see the mare covered in mud.

"Um…sorry…but you know, that color does actually look good on you…"

"This shade of brown should only be used for accents!"

* * *

Twilight tapped her chin, sitting with Spike at a local restaurant and eating a daisy sandwich. "So what kind of spells should I practice for a magic exhibition?" she asked, rubbing her chin. "It's not like an exam, it's all about what Trixie might try…"

"You know plenty of spells, I'm sure it'll be fine, Twilight," Spike replied, giving a smile as he hammered up a poster nearby for the event.

Twilight blinked. "…Where did you get posters for it already?"

"I'm a scribe, I have my ways…"

Twilight gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, alright, I figured you'd get Trixie involved somehow, so I had these ready and just needed to know what it was going to be," the baby dragon then gave a smirk. "You're Twilight, like you'd really pass up a chance to help your friend. I just asked you about the Princess to make sure you were alright with it."

Twilight blinked in confusion. "And the Magic Duel?"

"That I kind of came up with there, but seemed like a good idea to let Trixie show off, hehe, not like she needs an excuse…and maybe showing she can stand toe to toe with Twilight Sparkle will be enough to get people to finally forget about the Ursa for good."

Twilight then gave a warm smile and hugged him. "Thank you, Spike."

She wondered if Trixie's excitement over this was for that reason: the idea of proving herself to those who judged her based on what had happened in the past and leaving the Usra Incident that had ruined her life behind her.

Spike smiled back and returned the hug. "Hehe, what are assistants for?"

Twilight gave a small smile. "Well, I think my assistant just earned himself some gems."

Spike smiled widely. "Alright!"

Twilight quickly finished her sandwich and trotted off with Spike in toe…As Bonbon and Lyra set down at the table they'd just vacated.

"Lyra, I'm glad you've gotten roles in plays as human characters, but I still think you're too obsessed with…Hey, what's this?" Bonbon noticed, drawing Lyra's attention to the poster Spike had hung.

* * *

"Hmm…" Trixie said, looking at one of Spike's posters he'd hung up. Then giving a somewhat vain smile. "It is a beautiful picture of Trixie. Really captures her good side."

"Trixie!" called a familiar voice.

Trixie smiled, turning to see Snips and Snails running up to her. "Why hello, how are Trixie's number one fans and apprentices doing this fine morning?" she asked the two colts.

"We're doing great, Miss Great and Powerful Trixie!" called Snails.

"Now now, don't call Trixie that," the showmare replied. "She is no longer the Great and Powerful Trixie, she's Trixie Lulamoon, or Trixie Midsummer, or Trixie Lulamoon Midsummer…She's also considering the Magnificent Trixie."

The two colts nodded. "Alright, the Magnificent Trixie!" Snips replied.

Snips then floated one of Spike's posters out of a saddle bag, having gotten better at his magic from training with Trixie. "We saw this, is it true?!"

Trixie chuckled and took a rather high class pose. "Why yes, Trixie and Twilight Sparkle shall have a magic duel before Princess Celestia!"

"Are you going to win, the Magnificent Trixie?" Snips asked, the two colts staring at her in amazement.

"Is there any doubt?" the mare asked with a chuckle. "Though of course, Twilight is Trixie's friend, so she'll be quite pleased no matter what happens."

"Well we'll be cheering for you, the Magnificent Trixie!" they announced.

Trixie smiled as her two fans ran off to do…colt things. "Trixie loves her fans."

Trixie continued to trot on. She noticed some ponies looking over another poster. "Spike certainly made a number of posters, didn't he?…Trixie thinks she shall get a closer look…"

The showmare teleported to a bush nearby, seeing it was Bonbon, Lyra, and a pink mare with a yellow mane and cherries for her Cutie Mark.

"See, Cherry Berry, I told you, didn't I?" asked Bonbon, pointing to the poster.

"Yes, you did Bonbon," Cherry Berry replied, looking closely.

Trixie put a hoof to her ear to listen closely. Unlike her villainous sister, she never learned an eavesdropping spell.

"Poor Trixie, she doesn't have a prayer," Bonbon stated.

Trixie blinked. "W-what?"

"Yeah, Twilight's like Princess Celestia's personal student and knows like a hundred different spells," stated Cherry Berry. "She is like the highest level unicorn there is. I mean didn't Trixie learn from the last time when Twilight took care of that Ursa Minor that was kicking Trixie's flank?"

"Feel kinda sorry for her," Lyra remarked, looking sympathetic. "I mean she's not a bad pony anymore, and now she's going to get humiliated again."

"Still, we might as well go, should be fun for a laugh. And at least we'll get to see Twilight in action, she's good at magic."

"Of course she's good at magic. Twilight's great at magic. That's why poor Trixie's gonna get destroyed."

Trixie watched the three trot off, irises shrinking to pinpricks and ears pinning back.

"We know about Ponyville, you hack!"

"Fought any Ursa Minors lately, the Weak and Pathetic Trixie?"

"Couldn't even tickle an Ursa Minor, why would we believe you beat an Ursa Major?"

"T-Trixie may n-not have t-thought this out as well as she thought…"

* * *

Twilight sat in the library, letting Spike eat his gems she'd got him. She thought carefully about how to go about this magic duel. "I know Spike had a point about not being sure what to expect, but still, a little practice wouldn't hurt…"

A few moments later, the door swung open and in walked Carrot Top, or Golden Harvest as she was otherwise known. "Um, Twilight Sparkle?" she asked, looking around the room.

"Oh! Hello Carrot Top!" called Twilight's voice.

The mare looked up to find Twilight standing on the ceiling. "Um…hello there…"

Twilight's horn glowed and she teleported to the floor. "Sorry, practicing my gravity spells, haven't used them since that whole thing with King Sombra."

"So I see…For your magic duel with Trixie later?" the carrot farmer asked.

"Yeah, did you see Spike's posters?"

"No, Derpy told me after seeing one of the posters on the way to visit the Doctor. Something about finally visiting a Muffin Planet."

Twilight blinked. "Oh…Right…Well, I am just refreshing my memory on some of my older spells to prepare for it."

Carrot Top gave a slow nod. "Well I'm not entirely certain why you feel the need to do that."

Twilight cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well dear, you're the Princess' personal student," the orange mare explained. "And last time you came to a head with magic involved, you beat an Ursa Major she couldn't even tickle. You probably won't even need to break a sweat to beat her."

Twilight suddenly felt a knowing sense of dread in her stomach. "Well…she's gotten a lot better since then…"

"And so have you, dear," Carrot Top pointed out. "So doesn't that balance things out?"

Twilight pinned her ears. "Oh…Well…"

Carrot Top nodded. "Well, I was just making sure I knew what was going on. I had best be going. Derpy's watching Noi for me and I'd better get back before she empties my fridge…again. Have a good day, Miss Twilight."

As the farmer left, Twilight suddenly gave a worried whimper. "…This might not have been such a good idea…"

**To Be Continued**

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And there's the first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!


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